I was talking to a friend a while ago and she said something really interesting, her comment was,
“I’ve begun to think of God more as a friend, instead of only going to Him when I’m in crisis.”
This got me thinking about how many of us live our lives and walk in our relationships with the Lord. I’m guessing most of you would say you spend time with the Lord at some point of the day, pray before meals, but don’t really think of Him a whole lot other than that, am I right?
I’m not going to say that is a bad thing, because I don’t feel like it’s my place to say, but what I know is that’s not the way the Lord intended it to be.
We wonder why we are so burdened with guilt, shame, and the other lies we’re believing yet we’re not pursuing the one relationship that could help us with those things, “because we don’t have time”.
While I was mulling over this concept of crisis oriented relationship vs. friendship with God, He reminded me of the Psalms. I used to be amused reading the Psalms because at times I feel like David is a bit skitsofrantic. One minute he’s saying,
God won’t you do something? How much longer, O Jehovah God, must we endure this? Does your anger have no end? Will your jealousy burn like a raging fire? If you’re going to pour out your anger, pour it out on all these nations around us, not on us!” Psalm 79:1a, 5-6 (tPt)
But only a few chapters earlier he was saying,
I overflow with praise when I come before you, for the anointing of your presence satisfies me like nothing else. You are such a rich banquet of pleasure to my soul.” Psalm 63:5 (tPt)
David was all over the place, crying out the the Lord, the way we do when we need Him, but then thanking Him with his next pen stroke. What I always saw as a bit crazy, the Lord told me He loves. If you sit down and read the Psalms all at once, what you begin to see is a continuous conversation between David and the Lord.
David doesn’t just cry out to the Lord when he needs Him, he’s praising Him, worshiping Him and thanking Him over and over again. This is what a relationship with the Lord is meant to look like.
It’s a constant conversation, just like you have with your friends and your spouse, but this relationship is the only one that won’t ever let you down.
Over the years I’ve heard so many people say they feel like “God is mad at them” but it’s because they don’t know Him, they don’t know His heart. God doesn’t get “mad at you”, His heart breaks for you because you haven’t pursued a relationship with Him.
The conversation my friend and I were having was about her kid’s schooling and whether or not she should request the teacher for the next school year, or just let the cards fall as they may. She had been struggling to know what to do when all the sudden she had this idea that maybe she should ask the Lord what He thought. Maybe for some of you, asking the Lord would have been the first thing you’d do, but I bet for most of you, it would have been the last thing on your mind.
Asking the Lord should always be the first thing we do.
In this particular situation seeking wisdom is so important because after all, our kids are not ours, they are the Lord’s children that He has entrusted us to watch over and raise. I’d be willing to bet that God cares more about her child’s schooling than she ever will.
We have to stop our crisis-oriented mindset if we ever want to know our Father and have a relationship with Him. We should look at David as an example, someone who knew how to converse with the Lord – at times he was mad at Him, at times he was praising Him and other times he was reminding the Lord of His promises, begging Him to show up the way He had promised.
I know for some of us the word “friendship” has a bad connotation because we’ve been hurt by our friends, I know I have, but my friendship with the Lord is different. God has always been there for me and He will always be there for you.
We don’t need to “make time” in our day to spend with Him, we should spend our whole day with Him.
We don’t need to go to our friends for help, or encouragement, we need to go to our Father, the only one who can speak truth to us and fill us with encouragement. We don’t need to ask our friends to pray for us to have wisdom, we need to ask God to give us wisdom. We don’t need to ask our friends to pray protection over our family, we need to remind the Lord of His promises –
Whether by night or by day, demonic danger will not trouble you, nor will the powers of evil launched against you. For God will keep you safe and secure; they won’t lay a hand on you!” Psalm 91:6 (tPt)
God wants you to call out to Him when you’re in crisis, but He also wants to talk to you about other things – about your kids, your job, your marriage, your friendships, every single aspect of your life.
Be honest with Him, tell Him how you feel, share your heart with Him, tell Him when you’re sad or angry but don’t forget to praise Him in the good times.
With my whole heart, with my whole life, and with my innermost being, I bow in wonder and love before you, the Holy God! Yahweh, you are my soul’s celebration. How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness you’ve done for me? You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I’ve done. You’ve healed me inside and out from every disease. You’ve rescued me from hell and saved my life. You’ve crowned me with love and mercy and made me a [princess]. You satisfy my every desire with good things. Your love is like a flooding river overflowing its banks with kindness.” Psalm 100:1-5a, 8b
